Mars 080507 set2
Date: 08/12/2007
Mars taken in August of 2007 Skynyx 2-0M

Mars 090807 sets4 & 5
Date: 09/18/2007
This image was taken under relatively good seeing for a change using the C14 and the skynyx 2-0M CCD camera. Focal ratio was about F/42, using Custom Scientific filters. The features are somewhat lower in contrast due to dust in the atmosphere.

MARS 121807 sets 1, 2 & 3
Date: 12/25/2007

Saturn 031506
Date: 04/22/2008

Saturn 032807
Date: 03/04/2008
This is one of my best Saturns. Taken under excellent stability, while presenting a Live Event on the Charlie Elliott website.

Saturn 030208
Date: 03/04/2008
This image of Saturn was taken one week after the 2008 opposition. Stability wasn't very good, and there were fast moving intermittent clouds overhead.

Saturn 031208 set1
Date: 04/21/2008

Saturn 031208 set2
Date: 04/20/2008

Saturn, March 2008, 3 sets
Date: 04/23/2008

Saturn_042308_IRGB
Date: 04/25/2008

Saturn_042308_IR
Date: 04/25/2008

saturn08-04-23_23-03_IR_MOONs
Date: 04/25/2008

Jupiter_060708_set1
Date: 06/10/2008
Not a particularly good shot of Jupiter. I probably started imaging too late. If I image post meridian, the planet moves over a stand of pine trees and the roof of my neighbor's house and at that point local air turbulence takes over. The image on the laptop was characterized by shimmering and bouncing with occasional flashes of detail.

This is actually my first Jupiter this season. I'm hoping to better position the scope to avoid local turbulence in the future, but at 31 degrees altitude, it won't be easy. :-) Dark skies, Larry

Jupiter_061108_sets3_5
Date: 06/12/2008
Well, it certainly is humbling to image through the thick atmosphere at 34 degrees of altitude, not to mention stability problems in general.

I had a chance to image this past Wednesday morning, and captured a total of 7 sets with the Monochrome DMK. These 2 sets seemed to have the most detail.

The stability was average to below average (though it's hard to judge with the planet this low) but the skies were completely clear and it was a very nice evening weather wise here in Alpharetta.

The stability was pretty good but with quite a bit of variation. I watched the planet for about 45 minutes through the TMB 130 refractor and quite a bit of detail was visible, though not quite as much as you see in the images. The stability again seemed to worsen as the planet approached the meridian.

This series probably shows the most detail of the few I've taken so far this apprarition. The planet was moving through 30 degrees altitude when these sets were taken.

Dark skies,
Larry

Reduced size version for Smaller Monitors
Date: 07/04/2008
This is just a reduced size version of the image sets taken July 2nd. I tweaked the color a bit using my wife's Vista laptop on both images and realized that on her lower resolution monitor, a smaller version of the image seems to look better.

My older laptop has a tendency to minimize color variations even with a monitor attached, and that tends to hide some color defects in the image (dark hues level of saturation), so I'm going to have to be really nice to my wife and see if she would be willing to trade laptops... :-)

Dark skies,
Larry

Jupiter 07/12/08 GRS & Oval BA
Date: 07/13/2008
Here's a reasonably good set of shots taken the morning of 07/12/08. Notice the GRS and Oval BA (above the GRS). There is an interesting bright feature extending north out of the GRS, along the equator and a similar break out feature extending into the south temperate zone from oval BA. The LRS which moved between the GRS and oval BA still seems to be clinging to the preceding edge of the GRS as a small oval.

Here's a reasonably good set of shots taken the morning of 07/12/08. Notice the GRS and Oval BA (above the GRS). There is an interesting bright feature extending north out of the GRS, along the equator and a similar break out feature extending into the south temperate zone from oval BA. The LRS which moved between the GRS and oval BA still seems to be clinging to the preceding edge of the GRS as a small oval.

The monochrome images below show Jupiter in Methane band light 889nm.

Jupiter_sets_21-25-27_071408
Date: 07/18/2008

Jupiter_sets_21-25-27_071408_75x
Date: 07/18/2008

Jupiter_11_image_071908
Date: 07/22/2008

jupiter_3sets_080108
Date: 08/03/2008

jupiter_3sets_080108_75x
Date: 08/03/2008

jupiter_4sets_080608
Date: 08/07/2008

jupiter_2sets_090508
Date: 09/06/2008

Jupiter 09/14/2008 Monochromes and RGB
Date: 09/14/2008

Jupiter 09/14/2008
Date: 09/15/2008

jupiter_101408
Date: 10/15/2008

Saturn_123008_RGB_M_alt_2
Date: 12/31/2008

Saturn_020109_RGB_M_alt_2
Date: 02/04/2009

MARS_010708_set4_RGB_fmtb
Date: 01/16/2008

Saturn_032209_RGB_M_alt_2
Date: 03/26/2009

jupiter_072409_IR_0519UT
Date: 07/24/2009

jupiter_072409_RGB_0527UT
Date: 07/25/2009

jupiter_072609_RGB_0654UT
Date: 07/27/2009

jupiter_080909_RGB_0555UT
Date: 08/11/2009

mars_081509_1030UT
Date: 08/15/2009

jupiter_080909_RGB_0542UT_TMB130
Date: 08/18/2009

mars_082309_1011UT_1031UT
Date: 08/23/2009

mars_082309_1011UT_1031UTa_medvert
Date: 08/26/2009
This is the same as the other set of images from the 23rd of Aug, but these have the meridian oriented vertically as requested by ALPO.

mars_090509_0951UT_1005UT_medvert
Date: 09/05/2009

mars_122309_0630UT
Date: 12/24/2009
I had a rare chance to image December 23, 2009. This image isn't that interesting due to the conditions and possibly a scope in need of collimation. Stability was probably about a 2 or 3/10 and the sky was filled with high thin clouds that caused some of the frames to vary quite a bit in brightness. I was able to take only 2 sets as a thick cloud bank approached, but at least Mars was visible long enough to get an image.

mars_011410_0453UT
Date: 01/15/2010

mars_011410_3set_2x
Date: 01/17/2010

mars_020110_0401UT
Date: 02/03/2010

archimedes_032410
Date: 03/24/2010
This is the first image with the Byers/Galaxy 16" Newtonian. My goal for the night was to see if the newly constructed OTA would come to focus using the DMK21AF04 camera, a color filter wheel and a new barlow. I'd say the combination worked.

I am absolutely amazed at the optical quality of the Galaxy Optics refigured primary in this scope.

The planets are next!
Larry

mars_040210_0055UT
Date: 04/03/2010

saturn_040210_0238UT
Date: 04/04/2010

saturn_041110_0309UT
Date: 04/11/2010

saturn_052310_0254UT
Date: 05/23/2010
Fairly good seeing, notice Rhea (left under ring at terminator) and Tethys (just over Cassini's division to the right)

jupiter_073110_cap_s6_1024
Date: 08/08/2010

jupiter_092510_rgb4_lowens
Date: 09/25/2010

Jupiter_092510_RGB_mono_lowens
Date: 09/26/2010

full_phases_v4_1280_122110
Date: 12/21/2010
The Total Lunar Eclipse of December 21, 2010. Taken with a TMB 130, 910mm f/7, with Canon 5d Mark II attached. I had to watch for holes in the clouds to take these shots, and the clouds took over completely just after totality.

Notice the tiny star just left of the totality image and one below.

Images taken from Alpharetta, GA.

NexImager_3image_mars_101905
Date: 10/25/2005

jup_082011_RGB_titles
Date: 08/20/2011
Here's a link to this image with the monochrome RGB breakout:

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